Dehydration device



1949,. s. o. LEVINSON ETAL 2,459,329

DEHYDRATION DEVICE Filed May 29, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Jan. 18, 1949 DEHYDRATION DEVICE.

Sidney 0. Levinson and Franz Oppenheimer, Chicago, Ill., assignors to Michael Reese Research Foundation, a corporation of Illinois Application May 29, 1944, Serial No. 537,780

2 Claims.

This invention relates to an enclosure device, and particularly to an enclosure device which is adapted for use in the treatment and dehydration of various materials, such as blood plasma and biologics, such as mapharsen. The device is especially adapted for the drying of frozen materials and includes special means for the sealing of the device in the course of the drying operations.

In the drying of frozen materials, such as in the drying of blood plasma, it is necessary to control with great exactness the temperature, pressure, and other conditions during the period of drying. It is essential that contamination by ordinary air be excluded and that the vapor pressure within the enclosure device be controlled with great care. This makes it essential that the enclosure be sealed very efficiently, but at the same time it is desirable to have easy access to the interior of the enclosure.

The present invention has for an object the provision of a device which is adapted to house the frozen material, such as blood plasma in containers, and which includes means for refrigeration and the condensation of water vapor on the interior, and which will also provide a very efiicient seal preventing the inadvertent entrance of air or other contaminating gas through leakage at any stage in the process. Another object is to provide such a device which may be readily opened and closed and which will continue to operate effectively, providing an eflicient airtight seal throughout long periods of service. Other objects of the invention will be apparent as the following detailed description proceeds.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings showing one embodiment of the improved device. In the drawings Fig. 1 is a side elevational View, partly in section, the device being shown in dotted lines in a somewhat different position; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the container with the closure removed, the view being taken as seen from line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a detail view showing the sealing and positioning means of the container; Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 but showing a coating of plastic petroleum on the sealing surface; Fig. 5 is a view similar to Figs. 3 and 4 but showing a resilient sealing member in place against the sealing surface and having coatings of plastic petroleum on both its sides; and Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 4 but showing a portion of the closure and both sealing surfaces with the sealing member therebetween.

As illustrated, the improved device includes the container A having a closure B and mounted on carriage apparatus C.

The container A is in this embodiment generally cylindrical in shape and the interior surface is provided by the cylindrical inner wall I and the bottom horizontal wall l2.

An outer cylindrical wall [3 is spaced from the wall In, and this space may be filled with the insulating material M of any suitable type, such, for example, as glass fiber. A bottom wall [5 joins with the bottom of the outer wall I3 and provides a support for the inner bottom wall. An annular section II joins the top of wall I3 with wall ID. A nozzle l6 protrudes downwardly from the bottom wall [2 and extends through the opening l3 in the wall I5. A hose I1 is attached to this nozzle and provides means by which air and other gases may be withdrawn from the interior of the container.

The closure B has the inner walls [8 and I 9 which provide a cavity in which the refrigerating coils 20 are housed. Suitable conduits, such as the conduit 2!, are provided for circulating refrigerating fluid through this coil from the exterior of the container. The outer cylindrical walls 22 and the top outer wall 23 are spaced from the walls I8 and I9, and the space therebetween is filled with the insulating material 24'. The lower edge of the outer wall 22 is joined with the lower edge of the inner wall 18 by the annular piece 25 which is welded to the two walls or secured thereto in any other suitable way.

A plate 26, which is circular in form, has its upper outer edges welded or joined in any other suitable way with the lower edges of the inner walls l8 and rests directly on the upper edges of the container when the closure is in position. This plate has a depending annular portion 21 (see Fig. 6) which provides on its interior a frusto-conical surface 28. This surface 28 is the sealing surface of the closure. The outer side of the depending portion 2! also provides a frusto-conical surface which is designated 29, and this surface cooperates with means on the container for positioning the closure with respect to the container.

The container wall [0 is at its upper edge provided with the inclined surface 30 which is frusto-conical in form to correspond with the surface 28, and this surface 3|] provides the sealing surface for the container.

Spaced from the wall In and adjacent the upper portion of this wall is the cylindrical wall 3! which is joined with the wall by the annular section 32. Wall 3| is also provided at its upper edge with a frusto-conical surface 33, and this surface corresponds with the surface 29 of the closure. The space between the walls 3| and I0 also provides a degree of heat insulation to this section of the container.

The closure may be positioned annularly with respect to the container by means of the guides 34 and 35 mounted respectively on the closure and on the container, and the rod 36 which engages these guides. Any suitable means, such as laterally-extending bars entering a wall, may

be used to support the closure B in fixed position. Also, vertical means, such as the standard 38, may be used for this purpose.

The carriage apparatus C may be of any desired construction. As here shown, it includes the piece 44 on which the container rests. Support during vertical movement is provided by the vertical guide members 31 and 38. A truck 40 having the wlfeels 4| is mounted on the rails 42 and 43, and the piece 44 is supported an adjustable distance above the truck by means of the pivoted members 45 arranged as a parallelogram, with the screw member 46 engaging opposite lateral corners thereof. The turning of the screw 46 operates to raise or lower the container with respect to the truck. The truck with the container thereon may also be moved sidewise, with the truck running on the rails 42 and 43. The dotted lines of Fig. 1 illustrate the container in lowered position and moved sidewise on the truck.

We have discovered that a greatly improved seal may be had between the closure and the container if in addition to employing a resilient sealing member 50, the sealing surfaces be coated with plastic petroleum, commonly obtained under the name petroleum jelly.

When the device is to be used, the material, such as bottles of blood plasma, is placed in the container A and placed on the support resting on and spaced from the bottom wall l2. The operator then may give the container sealing surface 30 a coat 52 of petroleum jelly, as is illustrated in Fig. 4. Over this coating may be placed the sealing member 50' in the form of a ribbon of resilient material, preferably uncured rubber tape, and over the tape may be placed a second coating 53 of petroleum jelly, as is illustrated in Fig. 5. The closure is then ready tobe placed.

As the container is raised into engagement with the closure, the sealing surface 28 engages the upper coating of petroleum jellyon the upper surface of the resilient member 50 and forms a seal therewith. The container is guided by the engagement of the surfaces 29 and 33, so that there is no danger of misplacement.

With the closure in place with respect to the container, the air may be withdrawn through the tube H, and if desired inert gas or other gaseous medium may be introduced through the conduit 55. Also, the refrigerant may be run through the coil 20, and the interior of the container is cooled through the plate 26.

As the plate 26 is cooled by the refrigerant, it contracts, and this contraction serves to draw the sealing surface 28 inwardly and more tightly against the sealing member 50. Also, with the contraction of the plate 26, the engagement be-,

tween the walls 3| and the surface 33 of the closure permits the closure to descend slightly which permits a greater compression of the sealing member. This greater compression permitted by the positionin means is taken up especially when the vacuum is applied to the tube I1, since the vacuum when applied takes up any opportunity for tighter engagement of the closure.

Not only does the coating of plastic petroleum aid in providing a better seal through better contact and adhesion between the sealing surfaces of the container and closure, but it has a preserving action on the resilient sealing member preventing it from hardening or setting in its distorted shape. The petroleum composition has a kind of solvent action on the resilient member,

4 especially when this member is formed of the uncured rubber material.

Although the invention has been described particularly in connection with the drying of frozen blood plasma, the enclosure device may be used for the drying or other treatment of any material which must be carefully and efficiently sealed from air or contaminating gases during the drying or treating operation. The device may be used, for example, in the drying of frozen materials, such as various biologics, and if desired in the drying of juices of fruits, vegetables, and the like. It is particularly advantageous in the drying of frozen materials, but its use and adaptations are not exactly limited to the drying of such frozen materials.

Although only a single embodiment has been described in detail, it is obvious that many other forms of the invention may be constructed and that such forms may differ widely in their construction while still embodying principles of the invention.

We claim:

1. A device adapted for use in the drying of frozen materials, comprising a container-having heat insulated walls and adapted to contain the materials to be treated, a closure for said container and having heat insulated walls, said container and closure being provided with sealing surfaces which are frusto-conical in shape, a resilient sealing member between said surfaces, means within said closure for refrigerating the interior of said container when said closure is in place thereon, and means for positioning said closure with respect to said container so that said sealing surfaces are positioned with respect to each other, said poistioning means including a wall exterior of and spaced from the interior wall of said container so as to provide an insulating space therebetween, said wall of the positioning means having at its top edge an inclined surface which is adapted to engage said closure to position the container with respect to the closure. 2. A device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said last-mentioned surface is frusto-conical and wherein said closure is provided with a frustoconical surface for engagement with said lastmentioned surface.

SIDNEY O. LEVINSON. FRANZ OPPENHEIMER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Re. 20,969 Reichel Jan. 3, 1939 506,857 North Oct. 17, 1893 661,568 Walter Nov. 13, 1900 787,093 Gathmann Apr. 11, 1905 1,482,049 Swanson Jan. 29, 1924 1,683,359 Klopsteg Sept. 4, 1928 1,706,031 Lamb et al Mar. 19, 1929 1,778,657 Aoki Oct. 14, 1930 1,928,396 Seck Sept. 26, 1933 1,970,956 Elser Aug. 21, 1934 2,302,253 Reichel et al Nov. 17, 1942 2,353,986 Barr July 18, 1944 2,434,003 Morrison Jan. 6, 1948 OTHER REFERENCES A Method of Drying Complement from the Frozen State, by James Craigie, pgs. -77 of the British Journal of Experimental Pathology, vol. 12, 1931. 

